2024 Boston Heart Walk

2024 Boston Heart Walk Emcee
Jennifer Peñate
WCVB Channel 5 Boston

  
Award-winning journalist Jennifer Peñate joined WCVB Channel 5 in June 2023 as a weekend evening anchor and general assignment reporter. Jennifer co-anchors NewsCenter 5 weekend evening newscasts with Shaun Chaiyabhat; and reports during the week.

Jennifer comes to Boston from WFLA/WTTA in Tampa Bay, Fla. Her roles included anchoring English language newscasts on WTTA and WFLA, in addition to anchoring and creating WTTA’s Spanish language newscast “Noticias Tampa Hoy,” where she also served as the newscast’s managing editor. In addition, Jennifer was an integral contributor to TampaHoy.com, the station’s Spanish language news website reporting on information important to the Latinx community.

Jennifer spent the last three years as anchor and reporter on WFLA and WTTA where she received a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for her digital reporting on TampaHoy.com. Before WFLA and WTTA, Jennifer spent three years as evening anchor at KNWA in Fayetteville, Ark. While at KNWA, she covered stories that garnered national attention like the historic flooding of the Arkansas River that displaced hundreds, the assassination of a local police officer, and chaotic protests surrounding the death of George Floyd.

Jennifer began her career in 2011 as a reporter at KODE in Joplin, Mo., where she earned several awards for her reporting including honors from the Missouri Broadcasters Association and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. Also, while at KODE, she was named by the Joplin Regional Business Journal as one of the 2016 Most Influential Women.

From a young age, Jennifer has had a passion for public service and sharing impactful stories that make a difference in the community. As a result, she is a very active volunteer, keynote speaker, event host, and the founder of a nonprofit. In 2015, she created Girls Unstoppable to empower young Latinas through a curriculum that focuses on overcoming obstacles, developing confidence, and higher education.

Jennifer was born in El Salvador and grew up in both Los Angeles and Northwest Arkansas. She graduated with a journalism and Spanish degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Jennifer is also a member the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Gamma Eta Sorority which was founded at the University of Florida.

Outside of work, Jennifer is an avid hiker, half-marathon runner, and loves going on adventures with her dog, Tango.